Solving BHP’s
Reeling Hose Issues

Client

Engineer

SGC Australia

Commodity

Coal

Location

Western Australia

Value

$600k Ongoing

Total hose supplied

4,000mt Ongoing

We were approached by SGC Australia in 2024 to help resolve ongoing reeling hose issues affecting BHP operations. Their existing long-length hoses were developing a pronounced “banana” effect at each individual join, creating problems when winding and unwinding on stackers and reclaimers.

With 24 hoses replaced every four years across these machines, the issue was creating unnecessary maintenance costs, downtime, and operational inefficiency.

Problem Context

Joining already-cured hose into long continuous lengths is highly specialised work, particularly when metal joiners cannot be used. In stacker and reclaimer applications, hoses must reel smoothly over drums and guides, meaning the hose needs to remain continuous, concentric, and free from protruding metal connections that can create catch points.

When joins are poorly executed, the hose can lose its concentricity through the splice area, causing the hose to bend or twist at each join. This creates the common “banana” effect, leading to:

Poor tracking during reeling and unreeling
Increased stress on hose carcass and reinforcement
Premature wear at joins
Reduced hose service life
Higher maintenance intervention

Our Solution

To solve the problem, we supplied our Stackertech XL Series Long Length Reeling Hose, a solution already proven across multiple mine sites throughout Australia.

Our design focused on eliminating the root causes of previous failures:

Over-engineered splice joins designed to maintain concentricity
Continuous rubber-moulded joins with no metal catch points
Spliced every 120 metres, significantly reducing total join numbers
Double the tensile strength of the existing product
Built for constant winding and unwinding cycles on heavy-duty equipment

The Outcome

We have now supplied multiple reels to BHP as part of the changeout program to replace the problematic hoses. Since nstalling our Stackertech solution:

Since Upgrading to
our Stackertech
solution

Improved winding and unreeling performance
Longer hose service life
Reduced shutdown frequency
Lower maintenance demand
Increased plant efficiency across WA operations

Find Out More

This project demonstrates how correct hose engineering and specialised long-length joining technology can significantly improve reliability in stacker and reclaimer applications.

Talk to Our Team

Speak with our team about custom mining hose solutions for your next project.

Get Expert Advice Now

Solving BHP’s Reeling Hose Issues